Bucket list of places I want to go to

I have many lists but I think the list I keep going back to is my bucket list of places I want to see. Some are in India, most abroad. It's a small list; just 25 and I hope I keep adding to it.

1. Greece 

I am pretty eager to go to Greece. It is after all my dream country. There was a time when I wanted to live there for atleast 6 months. I looked up ways to earn, job opening and even made travel plans.  I still would love to do do that, but don't know if it will be possible. But Greece is a place I would like to visit again and again, through out my lifetime. ( And I don't know what started first, my obsession with Greek myths or my desire to go to Greece.)

2. Coorg

 

Coorg is not that popular as a tourist destination but I still want to visit. We were supposed to visit for a wedding but our plans got cancelled at the last minute. Coorg has forts, and ruins; and also coffee and elaichi plantations.

3. Silvassa

I didn't know much about Silvassa until a saw someone's fb cover pic a year back. It's a small town Dadra and Nagar Haveli which is wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat. It's a few hours drive from Mumbai. It's known for it's scenic beauty. beaches and water sports (One site mentioned Jet skiing I would so love to try that!). There you have it-just say the word 'beach' and I am in. 

and the  capital of the Indian Union Territory of

 

4. Kerela: 

It's supposed to be "God's own country and I there are so many reasons to agree. I mean, just google Kerela! It's beautiful; coconut trees, beaches and rivers. Can't think of a reason no to go.

   

 

 

5. Italy

What can I say about Italy? So much has been already said. I can just utter a few words. Pizza. Italian men and their accents *drool*. Tuscany. Eat, Pray, Love

 

 

 

 

6. Andaman (white beach)

List of sites which have lists

Since I am a list maniac I decided that my blog should have a list of websites that have lists.

1. Mental_Floss

 Let me tell you that I absolutely adore Mental floss.  They have been around for a very long time now. I don't subcribe to the magazine which started in 2001, but I am a regular at the site. Apart from lists like 11 dog breeds that no longer exist and 30 thing sturning 30 this year, they have a lot of fun articles, facts and trivia. And they research on and answer user questions. Anyone can submit a question to them! So over all it's a pretty good to place to get new trivia without feeling like you're being lectured.

2. Buzzfeed

I stalk their facebook page for new stuff. I literally go through  their whole feed and almost always end of reading most of their articles. All articles are in list format, and each point is accompanied with a pic of a GIF or a video.  Now, buzzfeed does not have original content. They collect viral content from stumbleupon, youtube, reddit and other places and compile them and then they post it. All their posts or feeds are collected from all over the web. The BuzzFeed homepage consists of a time-sequential list of posts from users and staff members.They encourage community posts and you can vote for your favourites . I have discovered so many recipes, projects, people and interesting information through buzzfeed that now I can't imagine not using it.

Check their    15 absurd fashion predictions and 27 things every parent does and you too will be clicking on all their posts like I do.

3.  List25

I came across this site by accident. I was going through some videos on youtube and found a video by them. I am so glad I did.  The site basically compile lesser-known intriguing information on a variety of subjects. They have incredible lists like 25 bizzare lawsuits you won't believe are real and 25 gift ideas for cat lovers. I could spend hours of my free time there. The design and interface is clean and it's very easy to navigate.

4.  Book Riot

This one has a niche audience. They are all about book reviews, writing and book related articles, and ofcourse book-related lists. It's a little difficult to find their lists but since I am a fan I look for them anyway. They have this feature calledcritical linking, which is their daily round up of bookish lists. Once you scroll down their feed, it's easy to spot. They do have other lists, here and there and you will eventually find them if you stick around. I would recommend it to all book lovers AND aspiring writers. 

 And Now  the mother of all list websites!

5.  Listverse

 

List maniacs will go crazy on this site! They have all kinds of lists, categories for lists and it's almost endless. Like mental_floss it's a site for trivia and facts on all topics. The lists you will find here are more diverse. You can spend hours and hours exploring all the lists they have. It is after all the original top 10 list place and has been featured on BBC Radio, Radio Scotland, Alabama Radio, BBC Television World News International, PBS, and in the New York Times. Very swag.

While writing this post I discovered a site for bucket lists; where you can track your bucket lists and connect with like minded people. I registered instantly, though have not started using it. 

P. S: ohyemzee so many lists!

How to do jugaad: Ways you can save money everyday

It's Monday and it's time for another How to post. I was wondering what to give my gyan without being to preachy. I was like jugaad karna padega. And so this week I am giving a step by step guide on How to do jugaad in your everyday life. 

First thing I did was google the word jugaad. And I was very surprised to find a wiki page about it. For me jugaad is about saving money instead of spending it on what I feel are over expensive items. ( I am very miserly) So here's my list  of jugaadu hacks for everyday life. 

The kitchen: Baking,  cooking and other kitchen related jugaad

Smoking vegetables: You don't need expensive equipment to smoke those capsicums. You just need a pair of wooden skewers, some coal and an earthern pot. Read my post on How to smoke vegetables here! It's pretty simple. Soon you will want to smoke everything. (Ok, maybe not your house!)

Using foil instead of expensive silicon mats to make nougat and other sugar candies: If you love working with sugar and want to experiment you don't need expensive silicon mats. You can easily make nougat and other sugar candies with foil. 

Use ziplock pouches and parchment paper as instant piping bags: I do this all the time. Though I also use proper piping bags for frosting with nozzles, when I am out of piping bags I just use washed ziplock pouches for piping. It's very easy, just fill the pouches and cut of one end like you would cut a piping back. You can wash and re-use the bags when you're done. Another alternative is washed milk packets. 

You can also use parchment paper to make instant cones for chocolate and sugar frostings. 

When short of 1 egg while baking : Don't panic if you've started baking and realise that you're short of an egg.

Yummy cuteness in a mug

Today I baked a cake.

 In under 5 minutes. 

In a mug. 

In my microwave. 

I used one of those Internet recipes. 

To my surprise it turned out to be delicious. I had expected it to be less than mediocre. I know that many people have always known the joys  of microwave cooking but for me this was a novel discovery. I have always been apprehensive of cooking things in the micro, always dismissing it as   something people who can't cook or are too lazy do. I mean, it's a quick fix. The cake was easy and hassle free. 

I would have clicked a pic if I wasn't busy gobbling it up

And I was wrong. Sometimes, even people who enjoy cooking don't want to spend hours in the kitchen(Not that I am implying that I spent all my time in the kitchen. I don't) So it's not laziness. Okay, maybe sometimes it is laziness. And tremendous hunger. And less time. Whatever the reason be, the food turns out  to be great. For me it won't replace conventional cooking methods but once in a while it could be fun.

I tried it today because I came across an article listing things that can be made in a mug. I love lists. Mugs are pretty good too. And the pictures looked great. I wanted to try it. It would take only 5 minutes of my time. And the instructions were easy. So I made a cake. And it turned out great. Then I got excited. This was a great quick fix. When you're craving cake and don't want a store bought one and certainly don't want to spend an hour, measuring, beating, greasing, baking, de-moulding; this is the thing to do. Find a recipe you like. (There are plenty online). I added my own variations to the one I found by the way. And it was egg less. Just imagine: A dessert for one in a mug. Ready in 5 minutes. I saw the time. The actual cooking took only 3 minutes. Prep time was two.

After I made and ate the cake I found a french toast recipe. Ya, french toast in a mug. How cute is that? I got back to work but at around four when my sister came home I made french toast. In the micro. In a cute little mug. With very less fat. And it was yum. 


I tried an omelet too. My own recipe. Nice and fluffy.

So I am pretty excited now. I am going to try countless  microwave recipes. I plan to make a nutella cake soon. And this time I will remember to take pictures. So that I can show off on facebook.


P.S : I have never blogged about food but this is my second post in a row about food. What has gotten into me? 

My own commandments

Most of the commandments are for me. You may relate with some of them. I am not trying to be preachy, though I may sound like it. Fair warning. 

#1  Thou shall not feel stupid if thou is clumsy


Thou art not the only one. Some people are clumsy. Some people trip over stuff. Some people bump themselves several times a day. It's okay to be a klutz. You will have days when things will not fall. When you will not accidentally cut yourself while you absently played with scissors. Feel blessed. 

The "When I finally get my own place" list

The list maker is back. I was bored of studying nutrition yesterday so I made a list of things I want  when I have my own place.

1. One wall will have a huge bookshelf. From one end to the other. And Agatha Christie, OHenry, Pablo Neruda, J.K Rowling, Paelo Coelho, Kahlil Gibran, Jacklyn Moriarty, Alexander McCall Smith will have pride of place on it

2. I will have a red wall. 

3. And a desk. 

4. And a softboard placed over my desk. I will stick a huge world map on it. To be wistful about places I want to visit and to mark the places I have been. 

5. I also want loads and loads of pens on my desk, ready to be used. So that I never run out of ink. I keep losing my pens.. I will buy the 3 rupee ones. So I can keep on buying them without feeling guilty. 

5. I want a small terrace. With a deck chair. To come up and look at the stars. To grow flowers. And for long glances at the moon. 

6. I will have a hammock. To laze around with a book.

7. I will have an espresso machine. For the instant caffeine high. 

8. I also want a landline with an answering machine. I always wanted one. Whenever I read about them I was fascinated. I want to record fun messages for callers. I have a list of funny answering machine messages, somewhere. 

9. I want a huge bed loads of pillows. I do love pillows. 

10. One of the walls will have framed photographs. To look at. And smile. I wish we had framed pictures at home. I already know which photographs I want framed. 


There will be other things in the house too. But for now, these are the things I really, really want. 

P.S: The Title of this post is inspired by a song by Aqualung. You can find the lyrics here

Y: Yes, you know it

You know you're  a hostelite when...

• You believe that more detergent means cleaner clothes.

• You try to find ways of making the hostel food more interesting.

• You glow when you recieve a parcel from home.

• You would eat anything your mother cooks when you get back home.

• Going out to withdraw cash is an event.

• You start comparing prices of  everything you buy.

• Sleep is the biggest luxury of your life.

• A month before  going home, you start counting days.

• You need to 'shotgun' a bathroom every morning.

• You shift places to get the best network.

• All  phone conversations take place in the corridor.

• You periodically   borrow ketchup, pickle, maggi, earphones, shoes, clothes, laptops and everything else from anyone who is willing to share. 

• Your room is sacred. Your bed, even more so. 

You know you're a hostelite when you are a hostelite. Even though we crib, at the end of the day it's not that bad. 

Update: 5.2.2014 I have a guest post by Amateur at this on what you learn when you relocate to a new city and experience hostel life. It's a fun read on gaining independence and learning new things. Read it here  

L: Lists

Lists and me have a long  history. Very few people are list maniacs. Those who are, inevitably end up being compulsive list makers. I am one of them. I have made lists ever since I remember. Lists of everything under the sun. My favourite books. My favourite smells. My favourite words. The ideal guy. Things I need to buy. Things I want . Things I hate. My list of lists is endless. I even have a list of all the lists I have made.

In class 11, I met AK. Who happens to be another list maker. Imagine my joy when I found that out! Infact we made our ideal guy list together. We made quite a few lists together. 

Last year, I reconnected with S (also known as Amateur at this.) She too is a list maker. There are very few list makers in the world and when one finds the other, an eternal bond is forged. 

Whenever I am confused about the oh-too-many-things at hand, I make a list. And feel better. Suddenly the world seems more organised and less like a mass of confusing here and theres. 

We list makers have lists tucked in everywhere. I sometimes make a list of things I want to say to a person, lest I forget. 

I was over the moon when I found Confessions of a list maniac in the library. Even though it's written for young adults, I loved reading it. Just because it was about a compulsive list maker. The numerous lists the protagonist writes made it such a fun read. The author herself confesses that she absolutely adores making lists. 

I am not organised, otherwise. List making is more than being "organised". It's fun. It's comforting. And one of my favourite things to do. 

Your definitions do not define me

If you ask me my name I will say it's Anjee

If you ask me who I am I will say I am human.

If you ask me my nationality I will say I am Indian. 

If you ask me my sex I will say I have female genitals. 

If you ask me my gender I will say I am female. 

If you ask me my sexual orientation I will say I am bisexual

I did not ask to get labelled. Your labels do not make me who I am. Label or not I decide who I am. 

Your preconceived notions do not define me. They do not make me who I am. Who I am is decided by me and me alone.  

P.S I recently participated in  Slutwalk Kolkata, held on 24th May. Though labeling is not the core issue that Slutwalk is dealing with it's something I have been thinking about a lot after the walk. To know more about how the Slutwalk originated you can check out this Wikipedia article.

You could also check out the facebook group Slutwalk Kolkata and the page.

The Versatile blogger Award!

So basically when I went back to my blog at night yesterday to see if anyone had noticed my new post, I got a surprise! Rahul of Crash and Burn..... had awarded my a versatile blogger Award! I did a happy dance!(In my head. And later, literally!) Thank you so much Rahul! Tons and tons! This means a lot!

I went through the awesome blogs of other bloggers he had awarded. They really are amazing. I am addicted to reading blogs these days and now I have so many blogs I can go through!

Anyway, now I have a new task. There are some rules I need to follow. I am just going to copy past the rules here. 
The rules seem simple

1. Create a new post.

2. Thank the lovely person who nominated you for the award. 
3. Pass it on to your fellow bloggers.  

4. State 7 random facts about you..

Oh 1 and 2 are done. But I want to thank Rahul again! He has just recently started reading my blog and I totally love what he wrote about me and my blogging style. And I am a Funjabi! Love the new nick name!( Want to read what he wrote? Its here. Check out the other links. Amazing bloggers!) 

So now for number 3. Fellow bloggers. I am very bad at introductions. I feel my words don't do justice to the talent these people have.  

1. Ananya of A World of Illusion is very good at what she does. Writing, sketching, photography. I love her  matter of fact way of looking at things. Very candid, very honest. You will want to read and read. Very talented, this girl. And oh her blue monster thingy is very cute. 

2. Ms A of Damn! I Can't Think of a Title! is funny, random and sensible. I hover around her blog a lot. I like what she writes. It's simple and relateable. And very recamendable. Also fell in love with her blog's name. 

3. Indolent Insomniac of Semi Coherent Ramblings and such... I discovered him because he reviewed my blog on Indiblogger. And fell in love with his casual style. His blog title says that it's semi coherent rambling, which it most certainly is not. The way he writes, it seems as if he is talking away. He seems like the kind of person who talks non-stop. But he talks sense. I love people who talk a lot AND talk sense. 

4.   Privy Trifles of Memoirs of me is also one of my favourites. Her blog has a great collection of poems, reviews, fiction and her opinions. Her "scribbles" are worth reading. 

Third part done. It was easy. I just had to  award bloggers and blogs I absolutely adore.  Ok, now for the 7 random facts about myself. I think I will take a break, save this as a draft and think about some stupid facts about myself. 

7 Random facts

1. I have written behind each and every copy I have owned. In school and college. You will find some line or the other in the last few pages of every copy you ever find in my possession. I use notebooks solely dedicated to writing but I also write anywhere else. ( Even two of my sister's copies have my handwriting!)

2. I have not watched many of the popular movies released in the late 80s and the 90s and the early 2000s. Everyone has watched Sarfarosh, Taal, Dil se, Daar, Dil Chahta hai, Hum hai rahi pyar ke, Rangeela  and what not.  I haven't. 

3. My first soft toy was called Monu. It was a mouse(not the Disney one) and I loved to talk to him. 

4. I cannot run down stairs. It's a phobia. I am afraid I will fall(justified since I am clumsy) .I can run up stairs but never down them. 

5. When I was younger I used to practice talking to people in my head. I was very shy and could not talk to people without practicing first. 

6. I don't like water. As in, drinking water. I do get thirsty and have to drink it but i don't like it. I know water is not supposed to have a taste but I think it tastes weird. 

7. I once ate soap. On purpose. Because my dad told me it would be tasty. Yuck! WyakThoo! 

So this is it for now I guess. I should get back to work. 

P.S I just realised that this posts has two lists! And now I have a big grin. I do love lists!

The Google list

I googled myself yesterday. Not because of any self obsession tendencies (maybe a little) but because I wanted to see how much information Google stored about me. 

I made a list of all the things I found about myself.

1. The fact that I use Facebook and Google+ is revealed. ( This I expected.)

2.I used to have a blog on Ibibo which I deleted(For those who are aghast. I do hope someone is aghast. As I was saying what I wrote there was BAD.) The link still comes on the 2nd page. If you click on it it’s a broken link.

3. I have a Picasa web album, which is now sort of default with Google+ users. This album has zero pics.

4. An account with a site called slideshare. I had to register to see a presentation and now I have an useless account. ( With no recollection of my password or the email id I had used.)

5. I used to have an account with a site called muggle.net back when I was a teen and used a dial up modem(Now THAT used to take ages and we used to be very patient. A momentary pause for the “times have changed” rant, please.) I was into fanficton and even wrote one myself. So my muggle.net user id also came up on the 3rd page.

6. My college admission merit list. ( I still can’t believe that was three years ago AND college is over!)

7. An interview I gave to The Telegraph when I was 17. (Here's why I was interviewed)

8. My story that got published with TOI. (Yay!)

9. A letter to the editor of The Telegraph.

10. Comments I gave on a public forum. (Did I actually say that? )

11. The fact that I use JustDial.

12. This blog! (Thank God for that.)


Moral of the story? (No moral, I just concluded.)The internet is the most extensive archive. Everything you do on the www is archived. Every lame comment I made on a forum is out there. Nothing gets deleted. That every activity is archived is not new information, yesterday I saw that for myself. I don’t find this scary. I am very matter of fact about it. I haven’t done anything stupid. (Not really.) As a not so net savvy teenager I may have partcipated in online discussions on forums about my favourite actor, book or whatever. No pictures. Nothing career threatening. I don’t need to worry about my past deeds. But after this I will be more careful about what I write, where.

The Sunny Times

Summer is all about having fun right? I live in Kolkata and summers here are all about sweating all over. 

The sweating started in April this time. Drip, drip and drip. Loads of drip, drip actually. 

I am not scared of the Sun, though. My friend Kaniti, her face literally dries up in the sun. She can't do without an umbrella. I can. I like summer. Even though I crib about the humidity.  

And this summer is going to be different. Final exams out of the way, I can now claim that my student life is finally over. I do not plan to study further, get a post graduation degree like all my friends are. 


And before I resume work full fledgedly( I have my own business) I need to travel. I want to go places. Only recently I have realised that the travel bug in me can't be curbed. I get restless if I don't go anywhere. I plan to travel. I have a whole list of places I want to visit. The list is pretty long and has only a few ticks. 

I plan to move out of my city and relocate some place else. Not because I don't love my city but because I want a new experience. 

I guess this summer will be about new experiences . I plan to learn how to drive. I want to learn a new language. I have some new plans for my business. New ideas for fiction. As one chapter closes, a new chapter is opened. 

New beginnings are tough and sort of scary. I say sort of because doing something I want to gives me confidence. That doesn't mean I am not scared at times.

Summer should be fun. Full of surprises. Maybe I will enjoy these surprises. But i do like to plan. So maybe planned surprises? I don't know if there exists such a thing. 


Summer need not be sweaty. What are hankies for? I think I would just apply some sunscreen, take out my shades, carry some water and enjoy the sun. 


This post was written for the Lakme Diva Blogger contest.  I love Lakme

Things I need. Badly. Pretty please.

Anyone interested in giving me stuff? I promise I will be eternally grateful. I swear. Everlasting gratitude from me. The forever types. 


I made a list of all the things I want. It isn't very long. 

1. People to stop stealing my pens. I had three pens yesterday. I can only locate one of them today. 

2.  All my plans to work out. ( Fingers crossed.)

3. A way to somehow travel freely. I need to go places. 

4. Money. Not loads, but enough. 

5. Patience to shop. I do need to buy some stuff. 

6. Information on various topics. 

7. Chewing gum. A month's supply. Mint flavour. 

8. My finals to get out of the way.

10. The muse to visit me more often. Everyday to be precise. 

11. A pedicure. If can give myself a pedicure but it wouldn't hurt to get it done( for free ofcourse) 

12. Life to uncomplicate itself and present itself to me in neat rows and columns.

13. Some magic- preferably to be able to apparate and disapparate. Or a summoning spell. I need loads of magic actually

14. A library membership. 

15. Speed

16. A small bag. I am too lazy to sew up my torn bag. 

17. New pairs of shoes. Atleast three pairs. 

18. A new phone. I know which one I want( Ok I am anyway buying a phone soon so I guess #18 doesn't count)

19. A hug. On second thoughts, loads of hugs (from specific people not random strangers) 

20. Someone to type stuff for me. There is loads of stuff I need to type. I don't particularly like typing. And I am pretty slow. And lazy. Enough said.  


21. Atleast two Audrey Hepburn movies.  From  any of the following- Funny Face, Love in the afternoon, War and Peace or Charade. 


22. A Simon and Garfunkel concert. Or a Kimya Dawson concert.Or an Aqualung concert. 


23. Chocolate. Not just any. My own. Can someone buy some chocolate from me and gift it back to me? I would really appreciate that. 


24. More hits on my blog. And more comments. Helps a lot to know that you are appreciated. 


25. Yummy food to be calorie less. I cant give up on food. I don't want to miss out on taste. Would prefer to miss out on calories,




I think for now 25 items on my list is enough. Any suggestions are welcome.